Posted , 6 users are following.
Today I feel like it’s the beginning again. I was very stressed all day waiting for a Xanax prescription to be refilled I’m wondering if that could have contributed to my pain tonight. Anyone have any ideas on this, it seems I’m taking 2 steps forward and a whole lot more back😫
0 likes, 9 replies
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CHICO_MARX arlene94040
Posted
There are advances, setbacks and plateaus...the last being the worst since you have no idea when you'll break through and start progressing again. You're still less than 4 months...and this takes a year. Count on it. Very few people get off lightly with this most brutal of all operations (although some say the shoulder replacement is just as bad). My hip was sooooo easy compared to this...I got totally blindsided. I'm at almost 20 months...it gets waaaaay better...count on it.
Great article...very helpful...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-power-of-rest-some-great-strategies-to-try-on-a-tkr-617892
See the picture. Your expected path vs. reality... Give up all your expectations and time schedules. Your knee will be better when it's better. You'll get there when you get there. The Zen Masters know their stuff...
laila20290 arlene94040
Posted
Dear Arlene , this forum has taught me that you have good days and bad ones, I am 4 weeks exactly post op today , up till yesterday it was going ok but then had a really bad day yesterday and couldn’t sleep, it is my birthday today (66) but don’t feel like celebrating 😩😩 it’s an uphill struggle just keep the excersise up and the icing, they keep me sane
Michy arlene94040
Posted
😯😯 I feel for You😔 I had to have Morphine Sulphate(5ml) for 8 Weeks I'm now 5 months Post RTKR still experienceing Pain Burning Numbness I do take Analgesics Regularly Everyone is Individual Rest Up Stress can Does make Recovery Slow
Take Care M 😀
CHICO_MARX Michy
Posted
I take Xanax (1 mg @ bedtime) for my restless leg crap. Works to mellow out those nerves so I can get to sleep. The generic (alprazolam) is cheap but...
The drug works fast but not for long. It has a horrible taste but if you can stand it, crush the tab under your tongue for a faster effect. (What can I tell you? I lived the 60's...) The drug gives you an immediate spike of relief but it lasts a very short time. Its half-life is 11 hours but the major effect is immediate and then wears off quickly. It's part of the benzodiazepine family, like Valium. It will likely get you to sleep but not keep you in that state.
If you want longer lasting relief, ask for Klonapin (the generic is clonazepam). You don't get as big an immediate effect as Xanax, but clonazepam lasts a whole lot longer. So you take it an hour before bedtime (not AT bedtime like Xanax) so that it gets you to sleep AND KEEPS YOU THAT WAY for a lot longer than the Xanax. The half-life of clonazepam is almost 36 hours. For people with anxiety, a dosing of one in the morning at one at night will build up enough of the drug in your bloodstream over a few days to take that "edge" off pretty well.
All these drugs can be habit-forming plus may interact with other meds you are taking so you have to be careful. An OTC option is diphenhydramine (generic Benadryl). It's the ingredient in all the PM and hay fever products that make you drowsy. 50 mg (2 capsules) a half hour before bed can help get you to sleep. Again, not an RX med so it doesn't have the powerful effects that those drugs have but it is a choice.
Hope this helps...
(How do I know all this stuff when I'm an IT guy and blues bassist? I was married to a pharmacist for 25 years an now married to a retired psychiatric nurse who administered some heavy-duty meds for 30 years. Plus, I've had 29 ops in the past 18 years and have been on plenty of this crap. I take as little as possible...hate the opioids but they are necessary for the first 30-60 days of a brutal knee recovery. Ya just gotta do whatever is necessary to get past that time. It gets waaaay better. I'm almost 20 months post-op...feel great.)
Michy CHICO_MARX
Posted
Thank You 😊 I'm not taking any "heavy meds" now Thank Goodness I'm sleeping very well Take Analgesics to get me through the day As and When getting less now
As I have posted previously 1st Time Around(12years) LTKR Absolutely Great Recovery
This time around RTKR Not So 😮 Back to Phyiso next week I hope there's No Infection Either but I would probably have worse symptoms
Love Your Posts
Zadok1 arlene94040
Posted
Hi Arlene, I am an icu nurse with 26+ years experience, and I believe - (how do you spell relief? X A N A X) is a great drug especially getting through a difficult time. Not long term as it can be habit forming. It's a great adjunct for sleeping. I tend to be high tolerance for opiates etc. And would take a.5mg at night. I feel that it helped me to have a deeper longer sleep. Normally I take ambien 10 MG at night or qhs. So I recently had my 2nd TKR and my surgeon ordered the Xanax for me post-op under the condition I wear my CPAP at night (I have mild OSA) obstructive sleep apnea. I did which helped save my life (a long story) but as the weeks go by I'm at 8 weeks and they back things off to fast. I'm able to do more of I have adequate pain relief. The pain rx ordered for me is oxycodone which the surgeon dropped me from 15mg q6 to 10mg q8. That's in half! I stopped doing exercises and stayed in bed icing and elevating my leg. I would call it an oppressed depression. So I saw the surgeon yesterday and I told him how I felt in behind in my pt and said he made my post-op experience much more grueling then necessary. He talked of the red flags on my chart but that I wasnt alone, how closely he is scrutinized by the Guberment etc. But he heard me and will make it better. He switched me from OxY to Norco 10mg q4. Note I'm a happy camper! And BTW your best resource on here is ChicoMarx he rocks! Best wishes for improved rest!
arlene94040 Zadok1
Posted
It was great reading your reply. I too have the crap machine which I felt made me more miserable when I got home but now I’m used to it. I should be used to it anyway it’s been three years. Last night I took an oxycodone immediate release tab 5 mg. It was better than the Vicodin, I finally slept, woo hoo. I can’t take it during the day, it makes me sleepy. I am taking a half of the Vicodin during the morning to help with my Pt but I think I will do the oxy again tonight. I take the Xanax when my legs get restless and I am about to jump out of my skin. I’ll tell you this surgery has really done a job on me. Thanks again for all the great info and your right, Chico rocks
CHICO_MARX arlene94040
Posted
FYI... Generic hydrocodone can be taken straight or mixed with acetaminophen either generically or under the brand names Vicodin and Norco...plus some others. According to NIH data, oxycodone has virtually identical painkilling properties. When mixed with acetaminophen, it goes by the brand name Percocet. According to NIH studies, the only difference between the two is that hydrocodone exhibits a higher incidence of constipation because it's based on the codeine molecule while oxycodone is based on the thebaine molecule. A tiny difference can lead to a lot of backed up crap...
Oldfatguy1 arlene94040
Posted
I don't know where you are located button in the middle of the US and right now the seasonal change, barometer and temps all over the place, dampness, etc are all really driving people nuts with pain. I've been this way ever since I got into this knee thing almost 15 years ago. This morning I got hit by a pain I hadnt had for a long time. One thing I have fought for years is getting upset o Dr different pains. If the leg isn't draining some unusual fluid or the calf isn't burning up I know I don't have an infection or blood clot, with that I can move e forward. I know its hard to relax but just remember that every little change isn't a crisis. Like Chico, I'm not an expert but have gone through this rehab business 5 Times and have been whacked on 11 times plus radiation so I've picked up a couple of bits of info both good and bad. Just slow down your expectations, stay with the process and it won't fail you. Try bypassing a y phase if it and boom goes the dynamite. Drink lots of water, take pain meds, allow for setbacks and you'll find progress is being made.